Greek austerity ‘unprecedented’ assault on human rights

Four years of brutal austerity measures in Greece have highlighted the poverty and inequality in the country undermining democracy, a damning new report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) says.

“While we accept that exceptional circumstances can require
exceptional responses, the way policies were adopted and
implemented in this context clearly failed to respect
international standards,” FIDH president Karim Lahidji said.

The Greek authorities have “sacrificed nearly
everything” to save its economy, he added.

The organization also said that the austerity measures and “a
failure to tackle the fundamental social needs” have
triggered a sharp rise in unemployment that has “exacerbated
pre-existing inequalities.”

The government’s moves also forced the most “vulnerable” sections
of the population to “pay the highest toll” in the crisis.

In particular, the minimum salary was reduced after February 2012
by 22 percent for the employees over 25, and a staggering 32
percent for those under 25, the FIDH said. Meanwhile, doctors
were forced to refuse to treat patients and postpone key
surgeries due to cuts in an already understaffed health system.

The organization said that not only the Greek authorities are to
blame, with the EU and IMF also violating their “obligations
under international law” that forced the struggling Greek economy
into “draconian” bailout deals.

“Human rights violations appear as having simply been
regarded as an acceptable collateral damage in a broader crisis
management, or as a well-deserved answer to the ’Greek problem’.
This is simply unacceptable,” FIDH’s Vice President Dimitris
Christopoulos said.

FIDH is by no means the first group to accuse European
authorities of implementing harsh austerity: In 2013, Oxfam
blasted the measures in a report that threatened 25 million
people could be living in poverty by 2025 unless the cuts are
canceled.

The austerity measures have been implemented in Greece for the
last four years: cuts to public services, as well as higher taxes
were pre-conditions for bailouts to keep the banks solvent.